Cosh Keeps It In The Family

College Football

Arundel Qb Commits To Kansas State, Where His Father Is Assistant Head Coach

Winter break will be an especially happy time around the Cosh household this year.

Arundel quarterback Billy Cosh will have just graduated early from high school, and his father, Chris, will be putting the finishing touches on his first season as Kansas State's assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator. Soon after, father and son will reunite as coach and player. Billy Cosh committed to Kansas State on Sunday, picking the Wildcats over offers from Kentucky, East Carolina and Towson.

"I feel really great," said Cosh, The Baltimore Sun's All-Metro first-team quarterback in 2008. "Having the opportunity to play football in the Big 12 and go to Kansas State [makes me feel] very blessed. I'm really happy about this decision."

Cosh, 6 feet 2, 195 pounds, went to middle school in Manhattan, Kan., when his father served as Kansas State's linebackers coach under Bill Snyder during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. The family moved to Odenton in 2006 after Chris Cosh was hired as Maryland's defensive coordinator. He spent three seasons in that role before the recently rehired Snyder brought him back to Kansas State last winter. Billy Cosh said he always looked back on those middle-school years fondly.

"I went to games at Kansas State, and it was just the best atmosphere," Cosh said. "Fifty-eight thousand fans in the stands, purple all around. Everyone's just so passionate and very loyal to the team. I always told myself I wanted to play in the Big 12, and I was excited when I first got the offer. I was really impressed by it."

Still, it wasn't a foregone conclusion that Cosh would join his father in Manhattan. He seriously considered his other options, but an attractive quarterback depth chart, a familiarity with the school and the obvious family ties proved too great to ignore.

"It was hard because East Carolina and Kentucky were tough to turn down," Cosh said. "It was hard to turn them down because they worked so hard [recruiting me]. It's tough to do that to a school, but it was just a family decision. [It will be great] for my family to be able to watch me play. Playing for Coach Snyder in the Big 12 is just a blessing."

Arundel coach Chuck Markiewicz said Kansas State was very professional in its approach to recruiting Cosh, treating him like any other prospect.

"I don't know what kind of input [his father] had; I'm sure he had some," Markiewicz said. "But they recruited him like anyone else. They didn't treat him any differently."

As a junior, Cosh threw for 3,913 yards and 56 touchdowns - both state records - rushed for 135 yards and five touchdowns, and led Arundel to an 11-2 mark and a runner-up finish in the Class 4A state playoffs. That record-shattering debut as a varsity starter didn't surprise Markiewicz, nor did the interest Cosh ultimately garnered.

"He's a very hard worker, and this is a goal he's had since he came to Arundel," Markiewicz said. "He has worked very hard to get where he is. ... He's got a really good arm, and I think he's going to be able to run the ball a little better this year, too. That's one of things he's been working on. ... So it's not a fluke or anything like that. He deserves all the accolades he's gotten."

Now that his recruitment is done, Cosh has his sights set on leading Arundel back to the state championship game - only this time he hopes to leave M&T Bank Stadium with a win. Thanks to his father's pressure-free approach to recruiting, the Cosh family has its winter reunion in Kansas to look forward to.

"He kind of stayed out of my way and said to do what's best for me," Cosh said. "It really helped out when he did that. He didn't pressure me; he just wanted what was best for me. I feel like my dad doing that, it helped me and made my decision a lot easier. There was less pressure, and I thank him for that."